Persistence to last grade of primary, female in Africa Western and Central
Africa Western and Central: Persistence to last grade of primary, female was 62.8% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Persistence to last grade of primary, female in Africa Western and Central, 1971–2023
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of cohort.
Analysis
The most recent figure for persistence to last grade of primary, female in Africa Western and Central is 62.8%, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.9% on the previous year and down 2.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, persistence to last grade of primary, female in Africa Western and Central peaked at 79.3% in 1982 and was at its lowest, 53.6%, in 2007.
Africa Western and Central ranks 41st of 45 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 53 years of available data.
Persistence to last grade of primary, female in Africa Western and Central, year by year
| Year | % of cohort | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 73.0% | — |
| 1972 | 72.9% | -0.2% |
| 1973 | 73.9% | +1.4% |
| 1974 | 75.2% | +1.7% |
| 1975 | 77.1% | +2.6% |
| 1976 | 76.6% | -0.7% |
| 1977 | 77.8% | +1.5% |
| 1978 | 78.8% | +1.3% |
| 1979 | 78.5% | -0.4% |
| 1980 | 78.9% | +0.6% |
| 1981 | 79.3% | +0.5% |
| 1982 | 79.3% | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 78.0% | -1.6% |
| 1984 | 78.4% | +0.5% |
| 1985 | 77.4% | -1.3% |
| 1986 | 78.2% | +1.0% |
| 1987 | 77.7% | -0.7% |
| 1988 | 78.0% | +0.4% |
| 1989 | 76.7% | -1.7% |
| 1990 | 77.3% | +0.8% |
| 1991 | 76.6% | -1.0% |
| 1992 | 76.5% | -0.0% |
| 1993 | 77.2% | +0.9% |
| 1994 | 76.6% | -0.8% |
| 1995 | 76.0% | -0.8% |
| 1996 | 76.4% | +0.5% |
| 1997 | 76.3% | -0.0% |
| 1998 | 76.4% | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 75.5% | -1.2% |
| 2000 | 75.6% | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 74.3% | -1.7% |
| 2002 | 71.0% | -4.4% |
| 2003 | 69.7% | -1.8% |
| 2004 | 67.0% | -4.0% |
| 2005 | 70.0% | +4.6% |
| 2006 | 55.7% | -20.4% |
| 2007 | 53.6% | -3.9% |
| 2008 | 68.9% | +28.5% |
| 2009 | 62.9% | -8.7% |
| 2010 | 63.4% | +0.8% |
| 2011 | 64.4% | +1.6% |
| 2012 | 63.9% | -0.8% |
| 2013 | 64.6% | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 64.6% | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 63.5% | -1.7% |
| 2016 | 61.3% | -3.5% |
| 2017 | 62.9% | +2.5% |
| 2018 | 64.2% | +2.1% |
| 2019 | 65.1% | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 65.7% | +0.9% |
| 2021 | 64.7% | -1.5% |
| 2022 | 64.1% | -0.9% |
| 2023 | 62.8% | -1.9% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Persistence to last grade of primary, female in Africa Western and Central changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | +28.5% | 53.6% | 68.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 76.0% | 72.9% | 78.8% | 9 |
| 1980s | 78.2% | 76.7% | 79.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 76.5% | 75.5% | 77.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 66.9% | 53.6% | 75.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 63.8% | 61.3% | 65.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 64.3% | 62.8% | 65.7% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Africa Western and Central
More education data for Africa Western and Central
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 2.08 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 35.36 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 75.77 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.9058 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1455 units per person (2024)
- Population ages 15-64 56.1% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 40.9% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is persistence to last grade of primary, female in Africa Western and Central?
- Persistence to last grade of primary, female in Africa Western and Central was 62.8% in 2023, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest persistence to last grade of primary, female recorded in Africa Western and Central?
- The highest recorded value was 79.3% in 1982.
- What is the lowest persistence to last grade of primary, female recorded in Africa Western and Central?
- The lowest recorded value was 53.6% in 2007.
- How does Africa Western and Central rank for persistence to last grade of primary, female?
- Africa Western and Central ranks 41st out of 45 groups with data for 2023.
- Is persistence to last grade of primary, female rising or falling in Africa Western and Central?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Africa Western and Central data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Persistence to last grade of primary, female (% of cohort). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 53 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Persistence to last grade of primary is the percentage of children enrolled in the first grade of primary school who eventually reach the last grade of primary education. The estimate is based on the reconstructed cohort method.